If you follow us on Facebook, you may have noticed that we painted a chalkboard wall in our dining room. I originally thought I wanted to put the chalkboard wall in the kitchen. But after living with it in the dining room for several weeks it is SO PERFECT here. I have to say it was a fabulous decision and the kids are LOVING it! I use it to write school assignments on (page numbers, etc) and to show examples (like parallel and perpendicular and why the fish is the sign of being a Christian) and the kids draw ALL OVER IT with their friends.
It was a bit of a time consuming project (not really in actual work, just in the waiting), with multiple coats and dry time, but it was really simple and totally worth the wait.
3 Easy Steps to a Chalkboard Wall
Step One. Paint wall with Chalkboard Paint. It’s fairly thin stuff, so I had to paint three coats for good coverage over the old mustard colored wall. Let cure for a few days. Follow the package directions. Don’t skip this step, or you won’t have a good hard surface.
Step Two. Cover ENTIRE wall with chalk. Just rub it on with the side of a piece of chalk. We went through more than a few pieces for this step. We bought a classroom size box of dustless chalk.
Step Three. Using a cloth or a chalkboard brush, wipe down the chalkboard wall. Now it’s ready to use!
And trust me it will get used!
Some of you have asked about the chalk dust. Dustless chalk definitely makes it better. But there is still dust, it just seems to drop to the floor instead of floating around all over the house. I do wipe the floor and baseboard along the base of the chalkboard wall a couple of times a week. Not really a big deal, which will be even less of a big deal when we replace the ugly wood baseboards with crisp white ones.
We’re moving along with our kitchen renovations too…we’ll be back to show some of that progress next week. What have you got planned for this weekend? Any projects? Have you signed up for our $225 Amazon.com gift card giveaway yet? Did you see our post about 6 Ways to Dress a Kitchen Window over at Centsational Girl? What about our new site Blogger Homes?
We did my daughters room..one wall and it is so fun!! Cool project!
thanks for sharing!
Totally fun!!!
Have you guys tried using chalk markers? I painted something with chalk paint and wasn’t sure if I could use the chalk markers or not, since they have to be erased with water. Just wondering!
I wouldn’t use chalk markers for this. They’re good for vinyl chalkboards. The water wouldn’t be good for your wall and chalk markers leave a bit of a ghost outline or shadow when erased.
Hmm , I didn’t know you had to let it cure. I made a small framed chalkboard and started using it the same evening. Maybe different brands???
Our can’s instructions say to wait four hours before coats and to let it cure for a couple of days. It is chalkboard paint from the hardware store, not craft chalkboard paint which is different.
The wall looks great! And it getting used is the best part!
Looks like a fun spot in the kitchen & I love that your kids are having so much with it! Great article on window coverings I enjoyed your ideas!
Great tutorial! I just made a fun media / study / play space with my kids (complete with a huge wall decal), and I’d love to make one of the walls a chalkboard wall. I will definitely be using your tips when I start that project — thanks again! Love your blog.
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Have fun with it! And be patient with the cure time….totally worth the wait!